Inspection Tours

What are they? What happens?

Even if you’re not sure about going out on an Inspection Tour, at the end of the day, you have to go out and have a look. How did you find the house you’re living in now? Nobody tapped you on the shoulder, saying: “Oh, here’s the keys to a three-bed semi-detached you’ll like. Get your stuff together; you’re moving in on Monday!” No. We bet you must’ve looked at a few properties first.

Put it another way, whether you saw something to buy or not; you’d come back with a lot more information than if you never went out at all, wouldn’t you?

There are often unnecessary concerns about 'pressure' on Inspection Tours, but please remember, this is not timeshare. Let’s Live Abroad! is a leading overseas property agency (Daily Record).

Of course, you don’t have to go on an Inspection Tour. If you want to make your own arrangements, call us on 0141 25 88 935 and we can make an appointment for someone to pick you up for a day’s mini-tour from wherever you are staying!

Let’s Live Abroad! won’t arrange for you to be shunted around in an overcrowded mini-bus, van or coach. We won’t send out a salesman in a white suit and crocodile shoes, either. (He or she will most likely be Spanish with a perfect grasp of English who will pick you up to show you around in an air-conditioned car).

Do you need to be near a golf course?

When you are ready, cCall Let's Live Abroad! and let us know the dates you are going out. We will also send you out a free Visa Eurocard and once you've met someone from the Spanish office we can put €100 on your card for you! Allow yourself at least two or three days to look around when you are there.

Are you in a position to go out and look? You must be in a position to purchase. We usually accept couples or two principals in a group who are able to make a decision if you find a suitable property.

Villamartin, the golfer's Mecca

If you are looking around Costa Calida or Costa Blanca South, around Torrevieja, Alicante, Murcia and the Mar Menor, you might stay at the Hotel Bahia, which is quite new and only costs around €50 a night for a double room. It has cookers and fridges in every room if you prefer not to eat in the restaurant and is close to the seafront at San Pedro del Pinatar on the Mar Menor.

Aparthotel Bahia, San Pedro del Pinatar

Once you’ve settled in, someone with keys to properties will come along to meet you at your hotel and chat to you about what you are looking for; what you can expect for your budget; what is hot and what’s not; what is brand new; what the area is like and what needs to be arranged if you needed advice on obtaining a foreign mortgage. The consultant will already have some idea of your needs after speaking with Let’s Live Abroad! I dare say you’ll still be chatting away in the car on your way to see the first property.

Inspection Tours give you the opportunity to see a wide range of properties that are for sale

Visiting show homes is fun. Of course, there is always one development designed by an architect who built Russian shopping centres during the sixties, but on the whole, we think you’ll be pleasantly surprised!

Imagine the bougainvillea cascading off the balcony of the Bosque de las Lomas

You might notice that a lot of lounges appear dark. This is because the Spanish like a long snooze in the afternoon (siesta) in a room with the shutters closed to keep it as cool as possible during the day. Don’t worry; you’ll be spending most of your life on the roof, bossing the other half around from your sunbed: “I said just a thimbleful of Tequila, Jeffrey!” We’re confident that we’ll find you a property that will simply set your heart on fire. Take a notepad so you can give the properties marks out of ten. (Properties, we said, Mrs Thurman. Not the builders).

Have a good look round when you are there

Check all the rooms

Could you imagine yourself sleeping in this bedroom?

Are the 'white goods' included?

Maybe you would like to see some resales?

Siesta is taken very seriously in Spain. It’s not always easy to get vendors in at this time of day (between 2pm and 4pm) and the showhomes can close. You don’t want to be looking at property all day so we’ll take this opportunity to stop for a break and have some lunch before carrying on your search for that Special One. There is a restaurant you might get taken to if you are looking in or around Torrevieja: Sunset Beach. Be warned. I’m writing this dangerously close to my lunchtime and will turn this into a second-rate restaurant guide at the flip of a coin. The Dutch-owned Sunset Beach is on the seafront at Playa del Cura, near the totem pole and Third Age centre in Torrevieja. (Cheque in the post, guys?) The food is an art form. Further along the front is Ramon Sirvent, probably the world’s best ice cream parlour. Burn the diet sheets! They’ve dedicated a whole cabinet to ‘diet’ ice cream, all made without sugar. What the hell were they thinking? Move along the counter to the dazzling array of full sugar, glutonous ice creams, covered in everything from fresh melons to bottles of Bailey’s. This should undermine the resolve of even the most conscientious Health & Fitness reader.

That's me; first table on the left, a long spoon down the neck of a Knickerbocker Glory

But I digress… Back to property: Be realistic about your budget. There is no point in going on an Inspection Tour if you are not financially able to purchase: If you haven’t sold your house or cannot raise equity. You will only be disappointed if you see the home of your dreams and you can’t do anything about it. Of course, we hope you'll have a great time looking, and, who knows...? You may end up being one our many clients that go on to own one of their very own properties abroad.

Once you have seen The One, make sure you put down a deposit, (usually €2,000). This fixes the price in euros so the bank, builder or vendor can’t change their mind.

All properties are freehold, debt-free with Escrituras (Title Deeds).
Bank guarantees are automatically in place to cover your payments on selected properties.

All new properties have a 10-year builders' warranty.

A comprehensive after-sales service - totally free of charge.

A free Visa Eurocard and €100 cash if you book your appointment in advance.

An introduction to English-speaking independent Spanish lawyers.

A few days can go very quickly, and before you know it, you’re being picked up and taken back to the airport. If you don’t see anything you like on this trip, Let’s Live Abroad! will continue to help find you a property; possibly in another area. Be honest with everyone about your plans. There is no point in just putting the whole project on the backburner. If you still want to buy, you need to go out again. If you don’t; you won’t. It’s as simple as that!

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Inspection Tours